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 Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:36 pm
 The desert sands shifted and danced from the wind that blew slowly along the desert air. It wasn’t every day that there was a wind that shifted through the desert. With her mostly white coat, Naja had no issues with the heat. In a reality, she was searching for a herd that she knew lingered within the desert that could possibly make her a hood and mask to wear while she traveled the deserts and the winds whipped up. It was one reason she was wandering at the moment, and not stopping at any point in her travels. She flicked her lizard like tail, the tip skidding over the sand. Her wings flapped for a moment, brushing any particles off her feathers, before she tilted her head up toward the bright sun that hung in the dead center of the sky. It was hot, and she loved it.
Smiling, Naja Pallida moved slowly. Her hooves pressed into the sands, making her sink every so often, before she continued onward and moved through the shifting dunes and blazing sun. Surely there was an oasis somewhere around here, one that she could go and get a drink from. Squinting, she gazed around the area, searching for something different that would stand out. Hopefully she didn’t see a mirage, that would be embarrassing. The thought made her laugh, but she continued onward either way, her body moving with grace along the sands.
She traveled for a few more moments, before something caught her eyes. Something green was in the distance; and she could pick out the color easily. She waited for a moment, seeing if anything flickered or went out. Seeing if she was delusional from needing water once more. But, it didn’t. She could still see the green/blue coloration clear as day. Smiling, she took off toward the coloration. It was time to get a nice drink of water and some shade, before continuing on her small quest for this herd. Her hooves sank at one point, causing her to stumble, before getting back up. She was still learning the way the sands shifted and made her stumble within the ground that never stood still.
As she got closer, Naja frowned, and skid to a stop. That wasn’t an oasis; oh no. That was another Soquili. Her wings shifted for a moment, before she tilted her head and stared at the stallion for several moments. Well, this was different. She blinked for a moment, before moving forward slowly and shifted to stand not far off from him, her body primed to run, despite the sands that were under her feet. She tilted her head one way, then the other, hair shifted over her face to cover one of her eyes, before a small smile shifted onto her features, and she called out in a non threatening, calm manner. ”Hello! Are you lost, sir? I could help you to the plains or the mountains, if you need.” She said, her tail flicking again.
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Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2013 8:27 pm
Garland woke with a start, a gasp forcing its way out of his lungs that was quickly followed by deep, desperate breaths. Sweat clung to him like dew and rolled off in waves when he staggered to his feet, only to fall back down again. The earth – it’d shifted beneath him. What? Sand? Where was he? The beach? No. The desert? He’d heard tales of the scorching lands before, though he’d never seen it. It could have explained the sweating, but the heaviness he felt in his limbs as he stood once again suggested they were the result of physical exertion rather than a rise in temperature. How had he gotten here? And—and why was blood on his hooves?
He reared in a panic, and he could feel the dried liquid coating his belly as well as throat. It didn’t seem to be his, however, and he didn’t know whether it relieved or worried him more.
A quick glance revealed a pool nearby and he plunged into it gratefully, rubbing the blood off in a frenzy as an unknown fear took hold. Whose blood was it, and why, why, why was it on him? He’d only gotten a glimpse of them before he’d looked away, but he thought they’d splattered in such a way that suggested he’d struck someone himself. Was it a trick of his mind? Why would he hurt anyone? And how long had his hallucinations lasted this time?
It was while such thoughts thundered in his head and in his heart that he dragged himself out of the pool and collapsed into the sand, the world spinning red before fading to black.
-
When his eyes next opened, he was calmer, though it was due to the fact that the overbearing heat forced lethargy on him rather than any tranquility in his own mind. He took a drink from the pool, flinching back when he remembered his earlier bath. He snorted his unease and, shaking the mane from his eyes, left the oasis to search for a way home.
Try as he might, he could not recall the recent happenings. It was nothing new: he inherited his mother’s hallucinations, and they’d plagued him since foalhood. During such moments, he would be lost in a land of mist and spires, of halos and lights and color. It was a beautiful world, but it was not the real one, and he knew that his body would do things that his mind would not later remember. They’d lasted only a few hours then, but it seemed to have lasted longer this time. Much longer. Never in all of his travels did he ever come across the desert, and now he was well within one.
He sighed. This had happened just when he’d begun to accept his mother’s side of the family, too. The armor, blades, and rings that covered his form were based off of his mother’s, and he’d hoped that if he no longer struggled against the hallucinations, they would occur less frequently. He’d been wrong.
The heat, if anything, kept him from brooding too much over what had happened at least. He regretted ever leaving the oasis, even with the knowledge of what he’d washed away there, but though he tried to return, he could not find it. He was standing on a crest of a hill, and all about him all he could see nothing but sand. There was some on his coat, too: they’d clung to his pelt when he dragged himself out of the pool and there they’d remained. He tried to rub them out, the thirst and the temperature on top of his mental state making him more irritable than usual. It was while he was attempting to clean himself that the mare happened upon him, and when she called out, he jumped and stumbled down the hill.
He slid to a stop near her feet and with a large spray of sand leapt onto his hooves, automatically puffing his chest, lifting his tail, and posturing in front of the unexpected company.
“Hello, there! I didn’t – that is, no – and by that I mean... the string theory—” he began eloquently, before dehydration mercifully cracked what was left of his voice.
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Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 2:27 pm
Naja blinked as she observed the stallion. He was... rather interesting looking. She cocked her head to the side, her tail flicking, making it skid over the sand and push the particles around to blend in with other sand. Everything looked so similar out here that it was difficult to know where you were going. And he didn't seem like someone who often times would be within the desert. With his bright colors and... was that armor? Or... She cocked her head to teh side to observe the gold barb looking things. She was very curious about it; very, very curious. Her ears perked for a moment, and she took a few steps back when he seemed to skid and tumble down the hill. A small laugh threatened to escape her. He seemed to be floundering over what happened. "Oh... goodness, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you!" She said in a rush, suppressing her giggles.
When he was back on his hooves, Naja took a half step back. He was tall, taller than she was by far. She had to glance up to see all of him; but that was a normal thing. She had once met another Soquili who towered over her. Wiggling her nose some, she cocked her head from one side, and then to the other, staring up at him in confusion. String... theory? But it was right after that she noted the sound of his voice; the crack and almost ache of need for water. Frowning some, Naja took a half step forward, peering at him with worry before she breathed out a small sigh, and smiled up at him.
"How long have you been out here? You sound like you need water." She said. Naja nudged him lightly with her nose against his shoulder, before turning and starting out over the sands, her hooves easily maneuvering the shifting stands. She had been moving over these sands for quite some time, so it was easy for her to move. "Come on, dear. Let's get you to some water, shall we?" She didn't bother to ask his name, or if he was okay. Didn't bother to consider him being evil. She could outrun him, easily, and generally the dark Soquili that got lost in the desert would need her in order to survive.
Or die from dehydration.
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Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2013 2:12 am
Garland tried to answer, but his voice came out in wheezes of air with no semblance of the spoken language within them. Eventually, he settled for a nod. Based on her prompt response, he figured she was no stranger to finding lost individuals here. Did that make his situation less embarrassing, or even more so?
His steps slower when he set out after her, but still stable. He didn’t recall ever adapting to the terrain, and could only assume he’d walked so much in his hallucinatory state that his body had adjusted of its own accord. Regardless, the mare, whoever she was, seemed much more in her element than he. She was closer to the ground and would not be as prone to unbalancing herself, but even with that advantage taken into consideration, she seemed far more skilled.
‘Have you been here long?’ he wanted to ask, unused to losing his voice and still expecting to find it. Instead, the puffs of air only made him sound as if he was already tired from their walk (and he was to be sure, but he didn’t want it quite so conspicuous). He kept his lips shut after that, determined not to appear too large a fool in her presence.
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Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2013 4:48 pm
The mare tilted her head, watching him with her bright eyes. She had to make sure that he was able to keep up. Noting his movements, and being unable to walk easily on the sands like she could, Naja slowed. She moved carefully, her tail flicking occasionally and stirred the stands behind her. It was almost as though she was gliding across the sands. Her wings flexed for a moment, sand dropping from her feathers and along her body till it fell to the ground once more. She smiled, rounding a few dunes and some sharp rocks, before her eyes locked on the bit of green around a high cliff face. "There we are." She said, her voice gentle.
A few yards off were several trees, dark brown trunks, with long green leaves at the top. The sand seemed to be a lighter shade of gold, and in the center, crystal clear water. Water that was so clean, it almost seemed to be a sin to drink it. But, Naja nodded to him, before moving forward and toward the waters. She shooed off a few scorpions and snakes that seemed to hiss or lash toward her. She had no fear of them, and moved past. Pausing at the waters edge, her head turned, and she let out a small whinny toward him, to ensure he knew itw as okay to come over.
"Come on, sir. Let's get you something to drink." She said. She lowered her head, taking her own drink from the clear water. It was cold, shockingly, and went down her throat easily. Her ears swiveled, before perking some. She peered around for a moment, as if observing the wold around her, before taking a side step to allow him more room. She didn't want to hover. "My name is Naja, by the way. And feel no need to talk until you can, okay? Get your fill of water before you attempt anything." She said. Naja really was one of the kindest souls in the deserts.
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Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 10:49 pm
Garland had met all sorts of soquili in his travels, some of which had taken silence for insult. He was glad to see this mare was not one of them. Trailing after her was as much as he could do at this state, and he’d no desire to offend this guide of lost souls.
In another of his adventures, he’d come across a mer: a long and beautiful mare with no back legs, who’d spent her entire life in the ocean. She’d read messages in the winds and waves when all he saw had been a blank screen of water. The same thing was happening now as well it seemed. A desert-dweller might have taken the slopes of sand to mean something more, but if there was any significance to the lay of the land, it was indecipherable to him. There were no trees, no flowers, no rocks with which he could remember the path by. There was the sun of course, but it hurt to look.
The stranger, then, was the only solace he found in their quiet journey. Another soquili was not so alien to him, and he wondered at her smooth gait and the impulsive way she brushed the sand off her form. So beguiling those movements were, but not enough to make him forget his introduction to this place. Based on her actions, he could assume she didn’t know of the events that brought him here and colored him in crimson. What had happened? There had been far too much blood to make it mere accidence.
His head snapped up when she spoke, and he’d startled so much he’d nearly fallen (again). Even in his somber moods, it seemed his body was out to shame him before this mare. Thankfully, the trees kept him from dwelling on the thought. They were so strange and naked he wondered what purpose they may have served, but that was a topic for another time – it was the water that held his attention now.
The sanguine of his eyes sent a shiver down his spine despite the heat, so reminiscent was their reflection to the blood he’d so desperately washed off. But his need was greater than his fear, and he broke the water’s surface to take his drink, reveling in his sated thirst and the cool that followed, flowing down his throat to pool at his belly.
“Thank you, Naja,” he said when he was finally done, his voice still prone to cracking but growing stronger with every word. “I cannot say I’ve ever said these words with as much sincerity as I feel now, but: it is a pleasure to have met you.”
He beamed at her, all smiles and sunshine. Then, “Oh! My name is Garland.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 10:50 am
Naja watched him curiously, her eyes flickering some. He was going to be okay, right? She danced slightly on her hooves, as though standing in one spot made her uncomfortable. Her wings folded tight against her back, and her tail skirted over the sand once more. Her ears swiveled for a moment, before she locked her gaze on the stallion once more. He was so bright, and glowy, and awesome looking. She loved it, really. Everything she had seen in this area was so dull. White's, black's, tan's, brown's. But never anything so bright. Her ears perked slightly, before she smiled gently and nodded her head to his thanks. Polite as well. She was glad that he was getting water. She laughed some, before nodding once more. "Agreed. You are interesting looking. And I'm glad I could get you to the water in time. I was worried that you would die of parch." She stated.
Garland. Wonderful name. She smiled at him. "Drink more, please. you may think you're done with needing it, but you probably need more." She said. She lowered her head, lapping at the water herself. Her tail skirted over it once more, before she lifted her head again. Something seemed wrong with him. He seemed... off. Maybe he was still weak. She shifted some, before walking over toward him, and stood near him, analyzing. Everything seemed okay though... He didn't seem too weak. His muscles weren't quivering and he seemed strong enough. But what was this feeling. She shook her head, smiling, before walking over to some bushes, sniffing at them before taking a few bites, her eyes closing for a moment. "What are you doing way out here in the desert, anyways?" She asked, turning her head toward him.
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